Display device for walking figures



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,640

|. A. HUMMER.

DISPLAY DEVICE FOR WALKING FIGURES.

' FILED 050.21.1920.

l'lllll ll l ATTORNEYb' invention.

Patented Dec. 19, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFEQE. I

Isaac A. noMMEn, or Bnooizcvn, new roan.

DISPLAY DEVICE non WALKING rreunns Application filed December 21, 1920: Serial No. 432,283.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known thatl, ISAAC A. RoMMnR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brook- I lyn, in the-county of Kings and State of means for supporting the toy and carrying the same forwardly as well as means to be engaged by the feet'of the toy fortripping or holding the same momentarily to simu late the Walking movement as the toy moves forwardly. 1

Reference istobe had to the accompanying drawing forming part ofthis specification, it being understood that the drawing is merely illustrative of one example of the Figure 1 is a omitted; v

Figure 2 1s a vertical section of adisplay plan view, the figures being device embodying my invention with a se-' ries of figures mounted therein.

In carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated example a platform 10 is provided rigidly supported by suitable means, there being illustrated posts 11 beneath said platform and rising from a suitable base 12.

A vertical shaft 13 is centrally disposed on the base 12 which turns at its lower end in an upright bearing 13". shown as passing through a sleeve 14:. Said sleeve may be fixedly supported by any suitable means, it being shown as rigid with brackets 14c in fixed relation to bearing 13*.

by a nut 16. The dolls A or other walking figures are adapted to be carried by the arms 15, for which purpose clamps 18 are provided having shanks 17 here shown as hinged as at 17 to the radial arms 15 in wardly from the ends thereof, so that the The shaft is shanks rest on theouter ends of said arms 15. Theclamps 18 securelyhold a doll and in the illustrated formeach clamp has a hinged side for the entrance and the removal of the doll, said side being held in clamped position as by a b'oltiS -'l"hus, the dolls will be caused to travel forwardly, in this instance, in a circular path above the platform 10. At the same time the doll is free torise-by reasonof the shanks 17 being hinged as at 17 or being afforded some slight vertical means. In order,in the forward travel of the play by any equivalent doll, that the feet may be successively engaged and the legs accordingly givenmovement" simulating the steps of walking, I provide" means associated with the structure beneath to alternately cause thefeet to errgage the platform or'elements appurtenant thereto; In the illustrated forml provide twoannular series of'protuberances 19, one series being radially inward from the other series, so that the impediments are respectively positioned in the paths ofthe two feet and they are in staggered relation to alter nttely engage the respective feet of a pair as best seen in plan view, Figure 2.

With the described construction the arms 15' are revolved, and moved forwardly with theturning of the shaft 18, the'corresponding forward movement of the figures A will cause the feet a. of the legs a of a figureto successively engage the protuberances 19. Thus, as one foot, say the outer one 0;, engages its protuberance 19, the other foot a and its leg at will be free from the platform 10. In practice it is well known that the legs are connected so that as one moves forwardly the other moves rearwardly or is held stationary to give the relative forward and backward movement. The forward movement of the figure will finally cause the engaged foot to pass over the engaged protuberance 19 so that the foot drops to a lower position toward the platform 10. At the same time the other foot a will have swung to a position to engage a protuberance 19 in the path thereof and the movement will be repeated as the figure moves over the platform. It will thus be seen that the protuberances 19 constitute means pertaining to the structure beneath the figures to modify the forward move ment to simulate walking.

It will readily be. understood that the shaft 13- may be driven by any suitable;

means, there being shown for the purpose an electric motor from a pulley 2O on the shaft of which motor a belt 21 runs over a pulley 22 on a shaft 28 turning in the brackets 14:, said shaft having a worm 24 in mesh with a worm wheel 25 on shaft 13 between the sleeve 14: and the bearing 13*.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A; display device for walking figures, said device comprising a driven carrier having means to hold the figures to cause the same to move forwardly, and stationary means beneath the figures to cause the feet to be alternately engaged to simulate the movements of walking.

2. A display device for walking figures, said device comprising a fixed structure,'a

driven carrier movable relatively to the fixed structure and having means to hold the figures to cause the same to move forwardly, and stationary means presented by the fixed structure to cause the feet cf a figure to al- -ternatelv engage the fixed structure for simulating walking moven'ients as the figure moves forward;

3. A device for displaying walking figures, comprising a fixed platform, means to support a. figure above said platforu'i, means to carry the supported figure forwardly, and} means to cause engagement alternately of the feet of the figure with the said fixed platform to alternately retard the feet as the figure moves forwardly.

4. A display device for walking figures, said device comprisinga fixed structure, a driven carrier movable relatively to the fixed structure and having means to hold the figures to cause the same to move forwardly, and means on the fixed structure to cause the feet of a figure to be alternately engaged and simulate a walking of the figures.

5. EL display device for walking figures, said device comprising a driven carrier having meansto hold the figures to cause the sameto move forwardly, a platform be neath said carrier andover which the figures are movedby the carrier, said platform having two annular stationary series of pro tuherances one concentric with the other and positioned as to' alternately engage the feet of the figure moving over the platform.

6. A display device for walking figures, comprising a driven carrier, means on said carrier to hold the figures, said ineansibein'g capable of vertical pl'ay relatively, to the carrier, aplatform beneath the carrier in posi tion to be engaged by the feet, and means to bring about an alternate engagement of the feet of a figure with said platform:-

7. A display device for walking figures,

comprising a driven carrier, clamps'to hold" the figures, said clamps'being hinged to said carrier to allow vertical play of the clamps and figues; a platfivrm below the carrier and positioned to lie'beneath the figures, and two annular series of protuberances on the platform, the protuberances of the respective series being staggered and being positioned to alternately engage the feet of the figure as it is moved 't'erwardly by the carrier.

ISAAC A. ROMMER. 

